|FAQ|For n00bs|Basics-Root,Roms,Kerenl and Recoveries

[Aman_Arora]

The objective of this thread is to answer the commonly asked questions, give the newbies a little head-start, protect them from getting flamed and keep this forum focused on more important things
Please go and hit thanks to @aashay960 here: for allowing me use informations here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2323518

1 > What is root?

If you’re an Administrator on a Windows machine, you have access to the entire operating system and you can do whatever you like. That’s essentially what happens if you root your Android device. With root access, you can get around any restrictions that your manufacturer or carrier may have applied. You can run more apps; you can customize your device to a greater degree; and you can potentially speed it up in a variety of ways.
Basically, Rooting a phone grants you the permission to do stuff you normally aren't.

2 > Why to Root?

One of the most obvious incentives to root your Android device is to rid yourself of the bloatware that’s impossible to uninstall. You’ll be able to set up wireless tethering, even if it has been disabled by default. You can also access your entire file system, install special apps that require a root, and flash custom ROMs, which can add extra features and streamline your phone or tablet’s performance. A lot of people are tempted by the ability to completely customize the look of their phones. You can also manually accept or deny app permissions.
You can also get the latest android version before Sony releases it. You can also overclock (increase the speed of your CPU) your phone!

3 > Why not to root?

There are essentially three potential cons to rooting your Android.
Voiding your warranty: Some manufacturers or carriers will use rooting as an excuse to void your warranty. It’s worth keeping in mind that you can always unroot. If you need to send the device back for repair, simply flash the original backup ROM you made and no one will ever know that it was rooted.
Bricking your phone: Whenever you tamper too much, you run at least a small risk of bricking your device. This is the big fear everyone has. The obvious way to avoid it happening is to follow instructions carefully. Make sure that the guide you are following works for your device and that any custom ROM you flash is designed specifically for it. If you do your research and pay attention to feedback from others, bricking should never occur.
Security risks: Rooting may introduce some security risks. Depending on what services or apps you use on your device, rooting could create a security vulnerability. For example, Google refuses to support the Google Wallet service for rooted devices.
You must be willing to compromise with these factors before you decide to root. Personally, I haven't regretted my decision of rooting even for a second! I'm sure most of the guys on this forum feel the same way. However it is your choice.

4 > How do I root my phone?

Root for locked & unlocked bootloaders

 

[Aman_Arora]

Recovery

5 > What is Recovery?

A recovery is a small distinct environment separate from Android that allows diagnostic updates, and the ability to perform factory resets. The main purpose of this is to provide a way to reset an Android device when it may be impossible to boot into it.

The Android stock recovery is very basic and controlled via the volume keys and power button at the top of the device.

Custom Recoveries perform the same tasks as the stock-Android recovery with a few addition features, such as the ability to make full system backups, as well as flash custom roms. It is important to note that custom recoveries are recommended to those users with rooted devices, however a rooted device is not required. Anyone with an unlocked bootloader can install a custom recovery on their device.
Basically, Recovery saves your ass when you screw up! But it has many other important features.

6 > What are the different Recoveries available for Xperia Z?

Look at this post.

7 > How do I install a recovery?

Check here

8 > Which recovery is better?

NEVER ask this question! It is a matter of personal choice. It is an insult to the developers of the Recovery if you ask this question. Try out on your own and choose what you like

 

[Aman_Arora]

9 > What is a Custom ROM?

A stock ROM is the version of the phone's operating system that comes with your phone when you buy it.
A custom ROM is a fully standalone version of the OS, including the kernel (which makes everything run), apps, services, etc - everything you need to operate the device, except it's customized by someone in some way.
So what does the "customized" part mean? Since Android is open source, developers are free to take stock ROMs, modify them, strip them of garbage, optimize them, add things, and pretty much do whatever their imagination and skills allow.
My definition - A Custom ROM is a developer's idea of what the phone 'should have been like'. He takes the stock rom and modifies it to improve performance, looks, animations, battery life etc.

10 > Why to install a Custom ROM?

Updated versions: You can load the latest and available Android versions which can make your old phone look new.

Great number of feature filled custom ROMs: It will be a chaotic task for you to find the apt one as there are bunches of great custom ROMs available for different devices.

Personalization: There are a number of features that can be customized to suit your taste and working environment. For instance, Custom themes can bring a new look and feel to your device.

Improve performance: The custom ROMs allow its users to find out the unnecessary apps they have on their device and helps them to get rid of them, thus increases the speed of processing and improves battery life.

Install Apps on SD card: This is currently not possible with stock ROMs. If your phone ran out of space occasionally when install new apps this is a killer feature to have.

Better signal and quality: Custom ROMs help you to improve your base-band which in turn increases the signal and quality of your phone call.
Other reasons that you won't find on Google - "The thrill factor involved", "To show off to your friends" and "Because you can!"

11 > Why not to install a Custom rom?

Bricking: This is one of the main reason why people hesitate to root their devices. Some devices after the rooting process may become useless and the only option left with you is to get a new one as the manufacturer will cancel the warranty if they find any attempts of rooting.

Loss of all Data: When you install a new custom ROM, it will clean up your system and therefore you will loss all your installed apps and data.

Risk Factor: Most of the apps will be open source and the trust you have on developers may cause a potential risk to you in the future.

Reboot: If the rooting is not successfully done, the device may enter to an infinite loop of booting.
Even though this may seem concerning, it will happen only if you don't follow instructions correctly or do something extremely stupid. As of now, there is no way to completely brick an Xperia Z! You can fix 'Loss of Data' by taking a backup and you can fix reboot by using the Recovery mode we discussed earlier.

12 > What are the different Custom ROMs available for Xperia Z?

Look HERE. Take your pick!

13 > Which is the Best ROM for this phone?

NEVER EVER ASK THIS QUESTION!! This is a very subjective question. It differs from person to person. It takes a lot of time/energy/efforts to build a custom ROM and asking this question is a very big insult to the makers of these ROMs! Try out different ROMs and choose what you like.

 

[Aman_Arora]

Kernels

14 > What is a Kernel?

The central module of an operating system. It is the part of the operating system that loads first, and it remains in main memory. Because it stays in memory, it is important for the kernel to be as small as possible while still providing all the essential services required by other parts of the operating system and applications. Typically, the kernel is responsible for memory management, process and task management, and disk management.
If our phone was a movie, the Kernel would be the director! It is the brain of our phone. And even though it is the most important part of our phone, it is just a single (.IMG) file and only a couple of MBs!

15 > What are the benefits of a custom Kernel?

Adjust CPU frequencies and set profiles like OnDemand, Battery Saving, etc.
Underclock and overclock CPU speeds
Underclock and overclock GPU speeds
Adjust voltage
Adjust touch screen sensitivity
Equip your phone with BLN (backlight notifications)
Custom recovery that allows backups and restorations of entire ROMs as well as installation of .zip files
Minimum screen brightness pushed past the limitations of stock kernel
Conserve battery (with the right settings)
There are a lot of Technical advantages of a good coded custom kernel. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about all that. Most of the work is done by the developer himself.

16 > How to flash (install) a custom kernel? OR How to flash boot.img?

Read this

17 > Which is the best Kernel for this phone?

NEVER EVER ASK THIS QUESTION!! This is a very subjective question. It differs from person to person. It takes a lot of time/energy/efforts to build a Kernel and asking this question is a very big insult to the makers of these Kernels! And remember, not all Kernels are compatible with all roms

18 > How to overclock my phone?

You cannot overclock with a stock kernel. You MUST have a custom kernel to overclock your phone. Once you have a custom kernel you must install either 'SetCPU app' or 'NoFrillsCPU app'. You need any one of these to control the CPU speeds.

19 > Is it safe to overclock my phone?

I will not say this is completely safe. But i have yet to come across somebody who actually screwed up his phone just by overclocking. So use at your own risk. Also remember that all phones have a different capacity to overclock. If you try to overclock it higher than that, it will go into a 'reboot loop'. But you can fix that by flashing a lower frequency Kernel. It is not a problem.

 

[Aman_Arora]

Extras

20 > What is GAPPS?

Gapps is short for Google Apps. These are apps made by google like Google Maps, Playstore, Gmail, Google search etc. They are available to download in the Play Store and can also be flashed as a zip in recovery mode. For a complete list of apps click HERE. Not all Gapps are available in all countries.

21 > How to increase battery life? OR How to save battery?

Read THIS (Not only read it but apply it too! ) . If nothing else works, buy a better battery.

22 > Task Managers - Good or Bad?

Long story short - If you don't know what you are doing, Stay away from task killers. If you think that constantly killing apps will free more RAM and therefore speed up your device, you are mistaken. The app that you kill will restart itself and this will cause you more of your phone's resources than you think you saved. In fact, task managers do more harm than good. A lot of Developers agree with this. Android itself does a very fine job of managing tasks so that you don't have to mess with it.
Read this in-depth article on task managers HERE

23 > What is Clean Flash? What is Dirty Flash?

Clean Flash is wiping cache, dalvik cache and data before flashing a zip or installing a ROM through recovery.
Dirty Flash is wiping cache and dalvik cache only

Clean flash is much recommended and causes less problems down the road. If the instructions specifically ask to to clean flash, you must do so. You will lose all your data when you will clean flash. But dont worry, clean flash will not affect your internal or external memory card. You will lose your apps and settings and game data. Your phone will act like it is just out of the box.

You can Dirty flash when flashing small modification zip files. Or perhaps a minor update to the rom (unless the instructions ask you to clean flash). You will not lose any data while Dirty flash. But sometimes, you are more likely to face problems like apps closing which could have been prevented by Clean flashing.

Personally, i always clean flash when installing a new Rom. It is a good habit to follow in the long run.

 

[Aman_Arora]

Famous Rom Comunties

Android Open Source Project

Android is an open-source software stack for a wide range of mobile devices and a corresponding open-source project led by Google. Here you can find the information and source code you need to learn more about the Android platform. From there you can create custom variants of the Android software stack, port devices and accessories to the Android platform, and ensure your devices are compatible with the Android compatibility definition.

Visit Official Site : source.android.com/

CyanogenMod

CyanogenMod (pronounced sigh-AN-oh-jen-mod), is a customized, aftermarket firmware distribution for several Android devices (See above for supported devices & how to install CyanogenMod on said devices). Based on the Android Open Source Project, CyanogenMod is designed to increase performance and reliability over Android-based ROMs released by vendors and carriers such as Google, T-Mobile, HTC, etc. CyanogenMod also offers a variety of features & enhancements that are not currently found in these versions of Android.

Visit Official Site : http://www.cyanogenmod.org/

MIUI

MIUI (pronounced "Me You I", a play on the common abbreviation of the words user interface as UI), developed by Xiaomi Tech, is an aftermarket firmware for cell phones based on the open-source Android operating system. MIUI itself is closed source. It features a heavily-modified user interface that does away with the Android app drawer and has drawn comparisons with Apple's iOS and Samsung's TouchWiz UI. The Custom ROM includes additional functionality not found in stock Android, including toggles on the notification pull-down, new music, gallery, and camera apps, and an altered phone dialer that displays matching contacts as a user enters a number

Visit Official Site :en.miui.com/

 

[Aman_Arora]

Reserved1

Res..1

 

[QualQuek]

Can you put a bigger signature i don't read it correctly...

Some things are wrong, like rooting your phone avoid your warranty, where did you take your informations?

Why not a single word about the risk of installing a custom kernel? The hard-brick problem, the fact that SUS and PCC won't work on a custom kernel, that's very important informations you should get before thinking about installing a custom kernel.

 

[SXUsr]

Great initiative!

Why not a single word about the risk of installing a custom kernel? The hard-brick problem, the fact that SUS and PCC won't work on a custom kernel, that's very important informations you should get before thinking about installing a custom kernel.

Post suggestions instead of criticisms.

 

[kgs1992]

This is really good! :good:
One small suggestion, if I may, I think when it comes to choice of recovery, you should make a small comparison between the types of recoveries available.
CWM non-touch recovery lacks AROMA support, and I think that's a huge drawback.
Maybe you can add more such differences that you can find.

 

[Aman_Arora]

This is really good! :good:
One small suggestion, if I may, I think when it comes to choice of recovery, you should make a small comparison between the types of recoveries available.
CWM non-touch recovery lacks AROMA support, and I think that's a huge drawback.
Maybe you can add more such differences that you can find.

In my veiw you are right but anything u say the person my have done hard work to build the recovery.

So i am leaving it for now .
If i get some pms / requests / more suggestions i will think once again

 

[aashay960]

Can you put a bigger signature i don't read it correctly...

Some things are wrong, like rooting your phone avoid your warranty, where did you take your informations?

Why not a single word about the risk of installing a custom kernel? The hard-brick problem, the fact that SUS and PCC won't work on a custom kernel, that's very important informations you should get before thinking about installing a custom kernel.

It is written that rooting will 'void' warranty which means that warranty will be over if you root the phone. There is a difference between 'void' and 'avoid'

 

[QualQuek]

It is written that rooting will 'void' warranty which means that warranty will be over if you root the phone. There is a difference between 'void' and 'avoid'

That doesn't change that fact that's wrong.

 

[aashay960]

That doesn't change that fact that's wrong.

So you are saying that if we root our phone, we will still have the original warranty? Ofcourse not

 

[akosicarlo]

Very informative !!

Thanks

Sent from my GT-S5570I using xda app-developers app

 

[QualQuek]

So you are saying that if we root our phone, we will still have the original warranty? Ofcourse not

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=43971471&postcount=10

Deal with it.

 

[kingvortex]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=43971471&postcount=10

Deal with it.

Not to argue with the fact that warranty shouldn't be affected by root (it shouldn't) , but that is solely a European directive.
Sony do not have to stick by that ruling in the rest of the world, including India where the person you are arguing with is from. So, it's perfectly plausible that they could deny a warranty claim because of root and get away with it in some territories (unless a similar ruling is made there).
Also, might I suggest that you do not post in such a confrontational manner when there is no call for it, especially in cases such as now when you haven't considered what might be the case in areas apart from the one you live in yourself.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

 

[QualQuek]

Not to argue with the fact that warranty shouldn't be affected by root (it shouldn't) , but that is solely a European directive.
Sony do not have to stick by that ruling in the rest of the world, including India where the person you are arguing with is from. So, it's perfectly plausible that they could deny a warranty claim because of root and get away with it in some territories (unless a similar ruling is made there).
Also, might I suggest that you do not post in such a confrontational manner when there is no call for it, especially in cases such as now when you haven't considered what might be the case in areas apart from the one you live in yourself.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

Absolutely not, read the wikipedia article.

 

[kingvortex]

Absolutely not, read the wikipedia article.

I have. It only mentions legality in Australia, Europe and the USA. Rulings made in those territories do not cover India and never will.
If you somehow think that India has to stick by a European directive, then I'm not sure what to say about that.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

 

[QualQuek]

I have. It only mentions legality in Australia, Europe and the USA. Rulings made in those territories do not cover India and never will.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

Oh you think that doesn't apply to other countries except that Europe, USA and Australia?
I don't think so, most of other countries haven't any law about it so maybe that make jurisprudence.
Anyway even in India i'm not worried about that.